Health Secretary visits Chester Nursing Home

Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen speaks Thursday at the Belvedere in Chester. (Alex Rose – Daily Times)

CHESTER – Acting Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen visited Belvedere Senior Nursing Home on Chester Road Thursday afternoon to discuss the Quality Investment Pilot Program for similar facilities across the state.

“We all know that a long-term care community is only as strong as its staff, but staff cannot provide the highest quality care without the support of a strong facility,” Bogen said. Ta. “So as long-term care needs become more complex, we need to ensure that facilities have the tools they need to meet that care. This includes keeping pace with changes in technology and upgrading equipment. That includes modernizing.”

That’s why the department established the Office of Long-Term Care Transformation in early 2023 to help facilities recover and rebuild from the challenges and hardships facing the industry, Bogen said.

The office is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and takes a coordinated and collaborative approach to ensure facilities provide the highest level of care to residents, she said.

“From leadership development to clinical skills, this funding is helping our staff receive additional training to provide even better care to our friends and family,” Bogen said.

Funds will also be used to build infrastructure to improve infection prevention and control and emergency preparedness. Both are essential to the pilot program because they allow facilities to improve resident services while ensuring safety.

For example, Belvedere split the $9,000 it received from the pilot program into three $3,000 investments to modernize emergency communications equipment, upgrade software systems, and purchase HEPA filters to improve airflow. .

“The Quality Investment Pilot Program was developed to directly assist facilities and provide them with the support they need to enhance resident care,” said Belvedere Administrator Joseph Bewley and Genesis Healthcare Gov. said Bogen, who was joined by Vice President of Relations. Johnny Patterson, Pennsylvania Medical Association Vice President of Operations Chris Fischer, and Leading Age Pennsylvania President and CEO Gary Pezzano.

Chester Mayor Stephen Roots and state Sen. John Cain (D-Birmingham, D-9) also attended.

Bewley said Belvedere has 150 skilled nursing beds, including 30 beds dedicated to memory support, and was recently able to hire new staff thanks to a collaboration with Eklego Workforce Solutions.

Belvedere also strengthened its disaster planning and disaster response mechanisms and improved the overall efficiency of emergency planning and staff training, Bewley said.

“In an emergency situation, when you’re trying to juggle and manage these things, having a better system and having confidence in your system is very helpful,” Fisher said. “So we definitely recognize the need to continue that and we want to support and ultimately support the commitment of the administration base. Today is a demonstration of that process.”

Mr Patterson said the relationship between Genesis and the Ministry of Health has paved the way for joint ventures such as the Long Term Care Resilience Infrastructure Support Sand Empowerment (RISE) program.

“A shining example of long-term care, Belvedere has not only achieved status as a four-star (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) rated center, but has also been named one of the best nursing homes in America by Newsweek magazine. ,” Patterson said. “With the launch of LTC RISE 2.0, the next version of LTC RISE, we are confident that Belvedere will continue to demonstrate its commitment to resilience in care.”